Dong Khe Pagoda
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01Destinations
02Dong Khe Pagoda
Dong Khe Village, Dan Phuong Commune
03Introduction to Dong Khe Pagoda Relic
Dong Khe Pagoda is located in the middle of Dong Khe Village, Dan Phuong Commune, Dan Phuong District before reorganization (now Dan Phuong Commune, Hanoi City), adjacent to the communal house, and for generations has become a cultural center built with the purpose of using Buddhist teachings to “encourage good and punish evil” and to educate the people in humanity and righteousness. The pagoda faces southwest and includes: the Tien Duong and Thuong Dien, which are parallel and connected by a corridor on a cong-shaped plan; behind them, symmetrically on both sides, are the ancestral house, mother house, and guest house. The three-entrance gate leading into the pagoda was destroyed during the resistance period.
The Tien Duong is the first architectural item of Dong Khe Pagoda, consisting of five bays and two wings; its roof is of the one-tier, four-curved-corner type and occupies two-thirds of the relic’s height. In front, corresponding to the central bay, is a folding-door system; the two wings have arched secondary doors. The threshold is made quite high so that every pilgrim passing here must stop, cast off impurities, keep a pure mind, and bow in reverence before the Three Jewels of Buddhism.
Inside, corresponding to the bays of the Tien Duong, are load-bearing trusses standing on four rows of columns. The trusses of the central bay and the two side bays are linked in the manner: “upper rafters and tie beams with vertical posts, lower stacked beams, seven eaves.” Connecting the two main columns is a large tie beam that supports a vertical post through a bearing block; the other end of the vertical post supports the crossing point of the two rafter ends and the ridge. On the two rafters, notches are cut according to fixed proportions to support the upper purlin bands. From the body of the main column, a side beam is mortised in; its other end rests on the top of a secondary column and supports the short stacked beams through square capitals with tapered bottoms. The seven rafters are mortised into the secondary columns and rest on the side beams, extending out to support the purlin bands and roof purlins.
To create the four curved roof corners together with the wings of the Tien Duong, the artisans skillfully and ingeniously linked four corner rafters (at the four corners) running straight through the hidden posts of the trusses of the two wings, then cut them short; the other ends extend out to support the roof ridges, curved roof edges, and softly curved roof tiles. It can be said that the manner of construction and the linkage between the components of the Tien Duong trusses of Dong Khe Pagoda suggests that this is a product of 18th-century art, rarely seen among the relics of Dan Phuong District.
The corridor connecting the central bay of the Tien Duong and the Thuong Dien of Dong Khe Pagoda is designed quite meticulously. The trusses of this architectural item are linked consistently in the style “upper gong, lower stacked beams, seven.” A special point is that while the stacked beams in the lower trusses of the Tien Duong mainly favor sturdiness, in the corridor the stacked beams are carved quite elaborately with the theme of cloud clusters, and the bearing blocks are carved with thin lotus petals. Some stacked beams are carved with dragon heads stylized as birds in motion. These are carvings of sculptural value, through which the wooden components not only have a load-bearing function but, through decorative themes, the local people also wanted to convey their dreams and aspirations.
The Thuong Dien of Dong Khe Pagoda is built in the style of one bay and two wings, similar to the Tien Duong. Most notable here, however, are the rear seven rafters of the Thuong Dien; these rafters are supported by finely carved corbels with different themes such as “climbing dragon” and “fairy dragon.” This decorative theme is very rare among relics, especially pagodas in Dan Phuong in particular and Hanoi in general.
In addition to some components of the trusses of the Tam Bao items of Dong Khe Pagoda that are finely carved, the sculptural artistic value of the relic is also expressed through the system of round statues. The order of the statues arranged on the Buddhist altar is as follows: in the highest position is the Tam The set in the seated meditation position, half cross-legged on lotus platforms; next are three Quan Am statues made identically in form and measurements.
The third row is the Amitabha statue layer in 18th-century artistic style; below are the Maitreya statue on the left and the Tuyet Son statue on the right, contrasting in appearance, one plump and one thin and ascetic. The fifth row is the Ngoc Hoang statue layer, with attendant statues on both sides dating to 19th-century art; before the Ngoc Hoang statue are the Pham Thien and De Thich statues made similarly, with a height of 105 cm, shoulder width of 31 cm, and thigh width of 43 cm. The next row is the Quan The Am statue, with Kim Dong and Ngoc Nu on both sides carved in kneeling offering postures. The last layer is the Shakyamuni Cuu Long statue set, with Nam Tao and Bac Dau on both sides.
The left bay of the Thuong Dien is arranged with a statue of Nguyen Phi Y Lan, a person of great merit who taught the people the trades of mulberry growing, silkworm raising, and weaving the famous Dong Khe silk. The statue is carved in the form of a Quan Am, one hand holding a willow branch, one hand resting in the lap, head wrapped in a thien cat scarf, with a kind face and a faint smile of salvation. The statue dates to 18th-century art. In front of the Nguyen Phi statue is the presence of the Quan Am Nam Hai statue in a seated meditation posture on a lotus platform with five layers of petals, above which are embossed round dots; this is 17th-century art. The statue has ten pairs of arms radiating evenly from the body; two central pairs form the chuan de mudra, and the remaining pairs are folded over each other on the lap. The statue dates to 18th-century art. Beneath the lotus platform is the demon O Ba Nan Da Long Vuong, straining to support the statue, made similarly to a dragon’s head rising over the waves.
The left bay of the Thuong Dien of Dong Khe Pagoda has a statue grotto with the Quan Am Pho Da Son statue at the center, surrounded by small statues representing Buddhas. In front is the Than Nong statue, made in the posture of a king seated on a dragon throne.
On both sides of the corridor are arranged statues of Thu Dia, Giam Trai, and the Ten Kings of Hell, similar in size. These are statues dating to 19th-century art. In particular, on the right side of the corridor, adjacent to the Tien Duong of Dong Khe Pagoda, is arranged a statue of Confucius, a typical historical figure of Confucianism.
It is also said that in Dong Khe Village there was formerly Thanh Khe Temple, also called Thien Temple or Tam Giao Temple, worshipping many gods: Confucius, Tan Vien Son Thanh, Saint Giong, Mau Lieu Hanh, Van Xuong, and others. During the resistance war against the French colonialists, the temple was bombed and destroyed by the French, but the people still preserved and kept the system of relics quite intact (now preserved at Dong Khe communal house). This shows that Dong Khe Pagoda also has the presence of a Confucius statue, evidence of Confucian influence as well as the fusion of Buddhism, Confucianism, and the local people’s worship.
Returning to the arrangement of statues at Dong Khe Pagoda, on the altars in the Tien Duong are also arranged statues of Duc Ong, Thanh Tang, and the Dharma Protectors Khuyen Thien and Trung Ac, of quite large size. These statues date to 19th-century art. In addition, at the two corners of the Tien Duong there are also Hau statues carved in the form of a Quan Am.
Besides the system of round statues with sculptural artistic value, Dong Khe Pagoda also preserves many material traces and other relics. Typical examples include some stone column bases at the Thuong Dien made of polished stone; a wooden lotus pedestal (on which the Tam The and three Quan Am statues are arranged) that functions as a lotus incense altar with four layers of double petals, decorated with round dots at the center of the lotus petals and symmetrical scroll lines in 17th-century artistic style; a large bronze bell 103 cm high with a mouth diameter of 79 cm, bearing in relief the bell’s name “Sung Nghiem Tu Chung”, an inscription about the people’s contribution to restoring the pagoda, and the ninth year of Canh Thinh era (erased, inferred from the bell-casting style); a bronze gong bearing the pagoda’s name in characters “Sung Nghiem Tu”, Thieu Tri era, and so on. These are material traces of multifaceted value, proving that Dong Khe Pagoda is a pagoda that has been built by the people since ancient times.
Regarding the traditional festivals held at Dong Khe Pagoda, they are maintained and organized by the abbot, elderly lay Buddhists, and the people on days associated with Buddhist holidays such as: Thuong Nguyen Festival (the 15th day of the first lunar month), Buddha’s Birthday (the 8th day of the fourth lunar month), Vu Lan Festival (the 15th day of the seventh lunar month), the entering-summer ceremony (the 1st day of the fourth lunar month), and the leaving-summer ceremony (the 1st day of the seventh lunar month). On these days, people come to the pagoda more crowded than usual, prepare pure vegetarian offerings, burn incense, and pray for health and wealth.
Dong Khe Pagoda is a religious architectural work built in the 18th century, associated not only with Buddhist worship but also with the worship of Than Nong, Confucius, and Nguyen Phi Y Lan, historical figures who made many contributions and had far-reaching influence on the awareness of the local people. This relic has become the center of cultural and spiritual activities of the former Phung canton and the people of Dong Khe today. With its outstanding architectural, artistic, historical, and cultural values, the pagoda was ranked by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Decision No. 50/2008/BVHTTDL dated 17 July 2008.
